Ikiteiru Mata
by take-up-your-cross
Summary: Alive again[I'm terrible at summeries, but here goes.] Al is kidnappederr... dissembled... in a battle between the homunculous, and Ed has less then a month to find his location and save him before teh seal that keeps his soul in his armor body is broken!
1. Taken

Chapter One:

Taken

"Al! Alphonse! Darn it, Al, where are you?" Ed fumbled around in the darkness. '_Blast it. One minute we're moments away from killing Scar the next..._' The power had blown, it was the middle of the night, and there was almost no way of finding Al, had he been in another room. "Nii-san?" Ed continued feeling around after the direction of the voice before hearing a loud hollow '_thump_' and falling back on the floor.

"Al, please tell me that was you and that you have a bottle of Advil." Ed moaned while rubbing his forehead in slight agony. "It's me Nii-san. I can't say much about the Advil though."

"Any sign of Scar?" Ed stood up, a little more mindful to keep his defenses up this time. "Nii-san, its pitch black in here…" Alphonse sighed with a bit of disrespect in his tone. "Uhh… right. Let's get some light in here, huh Al?"

They made their way to a hallway when the lights finally flickered back on. "Nii-san! Behind you!" But Al's warning was a bit too late, and Scar got hold of Edward his arm around his neck in a choke hold.

"Finally, you're mine FullMetal." Ed grimaced as the hold on the neck grew tighter and tighter. "Nii-san-" Al started for Scar, but before he could even get a chance at him, there was a… technical difficulty as Scars neck was cut in half.

Blood spurted everywhere, all over Ed, his red jacket, and some on Al. (not that he really cared.) Ed quickly turned around to see Scars assassin. "Who-" Lust pulled back. "You really don't know when to keep out of other peoples business, do you little Alchemist?"

"I'M NOT LITTLE!" Ed thrust forward ready to smack down anyone who questioned his abnormally _small_ stature.

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into." Came Envy's voice came from behind Al. This time Al would _defiantly_ be able to get a punch or two in…

**COLONAL ROY MUSTANG'S OFFICE 11:03 P.M.**

"Colonel" Liza sighed as she finished another stack of papers. "Do you _really_ like working over time? Because I truly hate Colonel and I have a gun ready to be pointed either your or my head, your pick." Roy's head fell on his desk. "My head please, Hawkeye."

The phone rang out in the newly fallen silence between Roy, who was wondering if he should take back that request, and Liza, who was seriously considering fulfilling it. "Are you going to answer the phone, Colonel?" Liza raised an eyebrow. "Why bother? It's probably just Hughes calling about Alicia or Grecia, or both of them." The phone annoyingly continued to ring, so Liza trudged over and impatiently picked it up.

"Colonel Mustang's office, this is Liza, how may I help you?" she sighed in an annoyed tone. "Liza?" Liza was surprised to hear Major Armstrong's voice on the other end of the phone. "Armstrong? What's going on?" "Well Liza, there seems to have been a break in at the old warehouse on the corner of baker street and west boulevard."

Liza cocked an eyebrow. "A break in? That's all?" Armstrong cleared their voice. "Not just that. It seems the Elric brothers were seen entering the warehouse; we have reason to believe that Scar and the three antagonists are in the warehouse as well."

"….WHAT….?" Liza froze. "I don't know what those boys are getting themselves into… _again _but we'd better make sure they get killed this time." He sighed. "Right. You get Hughes and everyone and I'll drag Mustang there." She moaned. "It's a date." He gave a hallow laugh. "Alright, see you there funny guy." She muttered sarcastically.

She hung up the phone and turned back to Roy who was no asleep among the pile of papers that were piled on his desk. Liza had waited for this moment for years. She took the gun she had concealed in her military jacket and pointed towards the ceiling. _BANG_ Roy snapped awake just in time for fragments of the ceiling and roof to fall on top of his head. "What was that for?" he moaned, rubbing his temples. "Well, we're switching you back to caf for your coffee, and we have to go after the Elric brothers… _again_." "The Elric brothers!"

"Yep. Put on your coat it's gonna be a long night." She yawned. "It was already a long night." He grumbled, reaching for his military jacket. "Well a longer night than it was before. We're going. Now." She pushed him out the door and started toward the warehouse.

**DURHAM WAREHOUSE ON BAKER AND WEST 11:58 P.M. **

"Nii-san, we have to get out of here!" Al rushed toward Edward whose chest had blood steadily flowing out of it, onto his shirt. "It's fine… we just have to take care of these three…" Ed slapped his hands together and formed a cage around Lust, Gluttony, and Envy. "Is that the best you can do?" Envy smirked before ripping the earthen bars of the Alchemical cage open.

"Really, we expected more from a state alchemist. Especially one that entered the national alchemy division at the age of 12." Lust sneered. "Then again, you are still a child."

"Lust, I wan' eats 'em c'n I eat 'em yet?" Gluttony tugged at Lust's arm. "You can't eat them, Gluttony." Lust shot a look at the two brothers. "We have to break them. First mentally, then physically, and then…" it was almost as if all three of them had the same idea in their head, and all had a disgusting and sick look in their eyes. "And then we give them to _father_."

Ed couldn't take it anymore he couldn't listen to their pointless babble. "Shut up already! I'll kill you before that happens!" Ed sprang forward, performing alchemy on his automail arm so it was sharpened to a point. Perfect for stabbing annoying little pests such as this…. "Not so fast FullMetal." Envy blocked the attack. Al lunged forward in an attempt to catch them off guard. "We're a step ahead of you. Do us a favor FullMetal and get yourself together before we meet again." Lust gave him a bone-chilling smile, much worse than before. The lights went off one more time.

"N-nii-san, what's-"

"Al! Alphonse, stay put, all right?"

"Nii-san, I can't they're - Nii-san!"

Edward could feel his heart sinking in his chest as he heard heavy footprints exiting the warehouse.

"AL!"

No answer.

"ALPHONSE! ALPHONSE, DARN IT, ANSWER ME AL!" there was again no answer, but a heavy blow to the head. Along with the blood he'd lost from the chest wound and the battle with Scar form earlier.

He couldn't take it anymore. He submitted to the exhaustion and nausea and passed out on the hard, concrete floor.

**(OUTSIDE) DURHAM WAREHOUSE ON BAKER AND WEST 12:14 A.M**

"Okay, who's going in first?" Roy stood among the hundreds of police officers and half a dozen colleges. "I'm not going in first." Shrugged Hughes. "Well, don't look at_ me_!" Liza defended. "For those poor, brave souls, for the Elric brothers,_ I_ shall go!" Armstrong so boldly declared. that moment three black figures shot out of the warehouse and landed in front of the six. They were carrying something in pieces.

It was Alphonse.

"You'll get him back when you can figure out our whereabouts." Lust smirked while holding Alphonse's head. "If you can't find us in one month…" Lust beckoned Gluttony forward.

She pointed to the seal that kept his soul and body connected. "We'll be sure to smash this in real good." Envy continued. Liza started forward. "Now you just-" but they were too fast and began shooting off before human eyes could catch them. All that could be heard was Al crying out. "Nii-san! Is Nii-san alright, is he okay! Where's Nii-san!"

"Liza, Hughes, take as many officers as you can and follow them" Armstrong ordered. "Roy, get the medical officials, I'm going inside for Edward."

"YOU HEARD THE MAN!" Hughes shouted at the top of his lungs to the officials in all his traumatized glory. "LET'S GET GOING PEOPLE! START FOLLOWING THOSE THREE ATAGONISTS, NOW! TIME IS PRECIOUS HERE, WE CAN'T LOOSE THEM!"

Liza Rushed ahead, sure not to loose sight of the three – or rather four- before it was too late.

"I need all medics ready, front and center!" Roy hastily gathered all medical personnel on the site.

**(INSIDE) DURHAM WAREHOUSE ON BAKER AND WEST 12:28 A.M**

"Edward?" Armstrong was half-way through the warehouse. '_What all went on here?_' he thought to himself. There were bloodstains all throughout the warehouse. Signs of Scar, but no body or sign of exit. ****

There was a sharp screech of pain. "GYAAAAAAHHH!" _That_ was undoubtedly Ed. "Edward? Was that you?" Armstrong sprinted off in the direction of the scream.

He found Ed on the floor, clutching his head. "Blast them! _BLAST _THEM! Where's Al Major?" he looked up at Major Armstrong expectedly. The look on his face was anything than what he thought it would be.

Despair. "I'm sorry, Edward… they…." He swallowed hard. "They took him away."

Ed's world shattered. "What do you mean 'took him away'? H-he's huge! Massive! How could they have possibly just whisked him away like that!" this part would be even harder to say, let alone for Ed to swallow. "He was in pieces. The seal was still whole, but if we don't find out their whereabouts in a month they'll…"

"What?" Armstrong didn't answer. "Major…" Ed said slowly. "Tell me. What will they do to my little brother!" He forced himself to stand up, making the blood flow quicker than ever. "Edward, don't push yourself! You've lost too much blood as it is!" Edward started toward Armstrong. "Please, Major. Tell me what they'll do to Al."

Armstrong shook his head. Ed could feel his legs give out. '_How could this happen? He was already taken from me once how could I let it happen again?_' he fell to the ground. "Edward! Sir Edward! Blast it! MUSTANG! GET THE MEDICS IN HERE! NOW!"

Ed could feel several people around him, but couldn't see or hear anything. '_Alphonse. Where is he? Was he scared? Is he wondering where his Nii-san is?_' then like an echo he remembered the promise he'd made to Alphonse. _No matter what I promise I'll get you back to normal, Al. No matter what. _

_No matter what. _


	2. Pressing on

**Disclaimer**: I do not own FMA in any way shape or form. That is all. Go on read the story. Go on. Go. Show's over. Buttfaces…

Chapter Two

Pressing on

CHUSHIN NATIONAL HOSPITAL, 9:56 A.M. (TWO DAYS LATER) 

'Nii-san can we really resurrect mother?' Al looked up with hopeful eyes. 'Of course! With this theory we can't go wrong!' they put the chemical make up of the human body in with all other ingredients from the theory. 'Blood, for the soul Al.' they both cut their hands and let the blood slowly drip onto the other ingredients. They activated the alchemy circle but something was wrong. Ed's leg was disincarnating.

He turned to his brother in distress. Al's whole body was quickly being pulled to the endless void that appeared where the ingredients once sat. Ed reached for his slowly fading little brother. "AL!" But it was too late. He was gone. "Blast it… I don't care what you take! My right leg or both my arms… just give my brother back!" he felt his arm tear off from his torso.

He had to work quickly. He had to find the most humanly-looking thing possible. 'Father's suit of armor! Now just to put a seal on it!' The pain was starting to numb his body. How bothersome… 'Nii-san! Nii-san what's happened? I-I'll get you to Pinako oba-san right now Nii-san!' But Ed could only look on in horror. "Al… what have we created…?"

The half-finished 'human' was lying in the center of the room, reaching out to them. It didn't have enough flesh or skin to cover its entire body. Its bones were torn and looked much too fragile to hold the poorly fleshed body. Its veins and arteries were in all the wrong places and cut by the jagged bones. 'F… Fathers…. Fathers!" it moaned it in an eerie tone before shaking madly into its death.

"Nii-san… how could this have happened? This plan should have worked!" "It… It was alive…" Ed began shaking in fear and depression. "My fault… it's all my fault Al. All my fault. It's all my fault. My fault… my fault…" "Ed! Ed, hold on!" "All my fault, Al. My fault. My fault."

"Ed? Ed? Eeeeeeddddd?"

"My fault…"

"What?" Major Hughes looked down at Ed with a confused and concerned look.

"Major Hughes?" Ed sat up. He was in a white hospital room. '_Why are they always white? What does the hospital staff have against color!_' he thought to himself. "What do you mean, 'My fault'?" Hughes cocked is head. Edward raised an eyebrow. "What the heck are you talking about?" "You were talking in your sleep. You've been sleeping for the past two days by the way."

"WHAT?" Edward thrust the coverers off of himself – and on to Major Hughes- quickly. "I only have 28 days to find Al now! What am I still doing here! I have to-" Hughes couldn't help but butt in. "No; you're most certainly not, Edward." Ed shot a glare at him. "What do you mean I'm 'most certainly not'?"

"I mean you're not going anywhere for at _least_ a week. Those injuries almost killed you, no way are you going back in the field anytime soon." Hughes sighed. "But Al has less than a month, Hughes! If I don't find him by then they'll!" Edward stopped there. He couldn't bear to think of what would happen if he didn't find him.

"We'll find him. You focus on getting better, Edward." Hughes got up from his chair and started for the door. He stopped at before walking out. "Ed… you can rely on adults you know. You don't have to do everything yourself." He looked back at the distraught fifteen-year-old sitting on the hospital bed and grinned. "We're not going to let them kill Al. We _will_ find him."

'_But if I don't do anything about it… nothing will happen!_' once he was sure that Hughes was gone he thrust the covers off himself once again and rushed to the window. '_HA. What luck_.' He had a room on the first story.

A/N: oh my, how _convenient_…

All he had to do was grab his stuff and –he looked down – scratch that, he had to get out of the back-less hospital gown, change into his clothes, get his things, and _then_ make his escape. While in the middle of changing, he was rudely interrupted by a knock on the door. "Mr. Elric?" the nurse sighed before entering the room. "It's time to change your bandages… Oh, sleeping. I'll come back in an hour or so then." She quietly closed the door and made her way to the next patient. "That…" Ed gaped. "…was WAY too close." He gathered his things, opened the window and hid under the bushes and army-crawled until he reached the front of the hospital. He would need a disguise… it would be bad if someone were to recognize him while he was sneaking out. He put his hood over his head and walked over to kid outside of the hospital.

"Hey! Kid! Have you ever heard of the FullMetal Alchemist?" the little boy gave him a suspicious look. "Al… chemist? Wazzat?" Edward grinned. "Ah, uh… nothing, you win! Now, I'll give you ten bucks for the hat and glasses." The willingly gave his hat, but hesitated to give his glasses. "I think ten bucks for both of these it a gyp mister…." Ed rolled his eyes. He really couldn't waste time with this kid…. "Fine, take twenty, now get lost kid." He began jogging off toward the library.

**CHUSHIN NATIONAL HOSPITAL 10:45 A.M. **

"Get up, FullMetal." Colonel Mustang charged through the door with Liza (once again) following behind. "Uh… FullMetal?" They looked around the empty Ed-less room. "Did we get the wrong room number?" Mustang scratched his head. Hawkeye checked the clipboard at the foot of the bed. "Edward Elric. Yep, this is the room, now where's FullMetal?" a cool breeze swept through the room from the open window. "Got bored did he?" Mustang rubbed his head. "I wonder what he would do if we somehow put him on Ritalin."

"Should I call the search party?" Liza headed for the phone in the corner of the room. "please do. Now… if I were a bean-sized shrimp, where would I run off to?"

**CENTRAL PUBLIC LIBRARY 10:57 A. M. **

Edward was desperately looking through every book on Alchemy and theories on homunculus he could get his hands on. "There's gotta be something here. Anything. A clue somewhere!" There was nothing but information on random researchers, and alchemical discoverers. And one on his father. '_wait… DAD?_' Hohenheim Elric. That was him alright. Just a few pages on his theory on the philosopher's stone and his theory on the homunculus. Absolutely nothing. How was he supposed to get Alphonse back if he couldn't even find him!

Ed stood up out of his chair and stood on the table he was currently studying. "WHAT THE CRAP AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW, HUH! WHAT NOW, CRUEL FATE!"

ten minutes later

The library security -actually just the librarian- threw Ed out for screaming in the library. At least he was able to sneak a book out of the library. Sure it was probably illegal, but he was a State alchemist, he couldn't be held back from something like a stolen or overdue library book. "Where is he?" He turned to see three police officers at the side of the library. "Did you find any sign of FullMetal?" one asked another, coming out of the library.

"The librarian said he read for a while, and then he threw a tantrum, then she kicked him out." Ed put hid newly 'purchased' hat and glasses and slipped away from the group of policemen.

He found it was _quite_ hard to find a place to stop and read the book he 'borrowed', since it seemed as though every single cop and police officer in central and from the east headquarters was looking for him. The only place he could think of that he could really concentrate on finding Al was…

Resembool.

He began to stealthy make his way to the train station, and to his hometown.

**CENTRAL POLICE STATION 11: 23 A.M.**

"Blast… he was angry when I left his hospital room, but I never thought he'd run away…" Hughes contemplated aloud. "Any sign of him? Anywhere?"

Roy took his gaze away from the scene of police officers running around like ants at a picnic looking for FullMetal. "Not yet. He was reported seen at the public library, but got kicked out."

Hughes raised his head. "Kicked out?"

Mustang slowly rubbed his temples letting out a little bit of a sigh. "He uh… had a _tantrum_."

"Great. That boy… he acts like such child sometime." Hughes smirked to himself. "But without him this job would get pretty boring, wouldn't Mustang?"

"Feh." Roy shrugged. "Colonel?" Riza poked her head in the room. "What is it Riza?" he sighed. "We've got a lead on FullMetal." Both the men perked up at that. "We called his guardian, Pinako, it seems he called earlier and said something about visiting in the_ very_ near future."

Mustang grinned at that. "So he got a head start, eh? Good work Riza, now let's get going." Riza nodded. "I'll call for a cab, sir." She walked out of the door. "Getting comfortable around Riza, Roy?" Hughes grinned like a hyperactive little brat who just got something he was begging for, and for the first time in quite a while, saw Roy blush. "WH-WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!" Riza poked her head back in. "the Cab's here."

Hughes took this opportunity to push the envelope just a bit more. "Riza, you've seemed to soften a bit too. What could this rare display of emotions be?" Riza began to blush slightly. "D-don't be stupid. We have a missing state alchemist to find." She swiftly walked out of the door as always, carrying on. The other two followed, Mustang slightly flustered, and Hughes quietly laughing.

WEST AMESTIS, THE KIYA MNT. RANGES 12:59 P.M.

"My brother will find me!" Al shouted, still in pieces. Envy threw a small stone at Alphonse's head. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Shut up already." Gluttony poked at Al's armor. "Lust, c'n I eat him yet?" Lust appeared out of a shadow. "No, no Gluttony. We have a use for him yet. Envy, assemble him." Envy quickly put Al together, as ordered. "Hah! I could escape right now if I wanted to!" Al said triumphantly. Were he human, there would have been a smirk spread across his face, making himself resemble his older brother all too well. "In fact, I think I'll do that now." Al darted for the exit, but Envy quickly barricaded it. "I don't think you want to do that." Lust chuckled. "We have what you most desire." A booming voice came from all directions. Alphonse looked everywhere for the owner of the voice. "Who…!"

Al stopped. He suddenly realized how cold the room was. '_Wait…_' He gasped. He couldn't feel if a room was cold or warm. He looked down at himself, raising his hands to his face. Palms. Flesh. Skin. Blood coursing through veins. Lungs that held air. A beating heart.

Al had his body of flesh once more. "Well, Alphonse Elric? Help us capture your brother, the person who trapped you in that disgusting metal body, and in return you get to keep your new flesh." Lust leaned against the dark, concrete wall. "Can you resist, Love?" Al looked down at his flesh, an uncertainty creeping over him, as well as temptation.

Well, there you go. I'll have Chapter three posted sometime soon. At least sooner than Chapter two was updated…. Please be patient, I have the attention span of a gnat! Later.


End file.
